After racing out to a 21-7 lead, the Buccaneers let the Falcons hang around in Sunday’s 48-25 victory. Atlanta tightened the score to 28-25 in the third quarter before Tampa Bay stormed back with 21 points in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t close to being a perfect game despite the fact that the Bucs improved to 2-0.
Here is a look at this week’s most disappointing Buccaneers.
CB Ross Cockrell
Cockrell was called upon to start at nickel cornerback for the injured Sean Murphy-Bunting, but struggled in coverage, especially when matched up against Atlanta’s top receiver Calvin Ridley, who operated a good deal from the slot. Cockrell gave up several catches and finished with three tackles and no pass breakups. He also gave up a touchdown to Ridley in the third quarter that cut into Tampa Bay’s 28-10 lead.
Safety Mike Edwards was called upon to play in the slot a good deal in the second half and made a game-changing play in the fourth quarter when he stepped in front of slot receiver Russell Gage for a pick-six. Edwards did a better job handling the slot duties than Cockrell did on Sunday.
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